INTRODUCING ARLO

Firstly I should say at the time (5+ years ago) we had no intention of introducing another dog into our family however, the opportunity arose one day and I have never looked back. I had just moved out of the family home into a flat with my partner however, I found myself feeling lonely most evenings as our work hours differed significantly. One of us would leave to work in the morning and by the time we arrived home, the other would have to go to work.

Out of the blue one evening, my partner came into the bedroom and showed me a picture of a little fox-like puppy sent to him from a family member. I asked why the picture of a random dog had been sent to us, it turned out that Arlo was owned by an acquaintance of the family member who was concerned about the little pups welfare.

I jokingly said, "he looks so sweet, is he for sale or something??". We didn't get an answer for a while however when the family member visited the owner again at a later date and brought up the subject of the dog and whether she really wanted it, or if she would be open to re-homing it. She told the owner that she knew of someone who would be able to give him a far better life and ease the financial burden of owning a dog. We began to emotionally attach ourselves to the situation and wanted to gain access to Arlo to help him. We were told that poor Arlo spent most of his days locked in a dog crate, with little food and not much attention. A few more days past and we had an update that the owner would accept £200.00 as payment for Arlo, I immediately asked to relay the message that that was fine and I would get the money out ASAP. I wanted the exchange to happen within the week, so she couldn't change her mind and that I could sleep easier knowing the puppy would be safe with us.

Thankfully I can report the following day the money was given and that evening a little visitor arrived at our door. It was a shock to see Arlo in the flesh for the first time, he was severely underweight with most of his bones clearly visible. Also, the smell of urine emanating off him was quite potent, although this was explained that prior to today he would just wet himself in his cage. I was so shocked at his appearance that I wanted to cry, I didn't even tell any of my family members that I had brought a puppy as I knew they would want to visit him. But they would all have been so upset to see how skinny and poorly he looked as they were dog lovers.

During Arlo's first few days we tried our best to crate train him in the evenings, but despite our best efforts, Arlo seemed adamant in spending those nights in bed with us. To be honest amongst the howling and barking we were more than happy to shower him with attention before sleep. We told ourselves he would only stay in bed with us for the first few nights whilst he settled however fast forward 5 years later and he has never slept anywhere else.

Over the course of the first week, we steadily fed Arlo until he began to gain weight (there may have been a handful of treats involved) and booked his first vet appointment. The veterinarian was unsure if Arlo had ever had any of his vaccinations or puppy boosters so thought it best to give him brand new ones to be on the safe side.

Weeks turned into months and Arlo's health was increasing rapidly, by this point he had been introduced to all the family and the fellow pooches Dylan and Daisy. He instantly took a shine to Daisy and the both of them would play non-stop for hours, chasing each other around, nuzzling each other whilst wagging their tails continually. They are so inseparable when together that we assume they are in love with one another.

As Arlo was now 9 months old he was booked in for the chop or as I like to call it "denutted". I am sure you can all sympathise that making the decision to neuter or spay a pet is not an easy one however the vet explained the health benefits for Arlo and the decrease in dominant behaviour he would display to us and other dogs. I can remember dropping off Arlo to the vets that day as if it was yesterday. His face looking at me completely unaware of what I was about to put him through. The operation was a success and I was able to pick him up that evening, although he did not look happy to see me. The look of betrail still prevalent in his expression.

Boy was I in for a surprise! the following days were as traumatic for me as much as they were for Arlo. The vet had given me the crucial bit of kit known as "the cone of shame" to prevent him from licking at his stitches and generally told me to keep a close eye on him. He slept on the end of the bed for the first night and we watched him like a hawk, nevertheless, at some point, I fell asleep. The next day his wound looked a little inflamed as he was able to manoeuvre the ill-fitting cone to lick his gash. Thankfully I had booked a week off work, so I spent the morning nursing him and carrying him downstairs to relieve himself (did I mention we lived in a flat), at night I slept on a makeshift bed on the living room floor with him.

Who needs sleep!?!?

I felt I had gone above and beyond nursing him back to health but when I took him for his first check-up the vet gave me a metaphorical slap on the wrist as he was not impressed with how the wound had healed. I explained I couldn't have done anything further and that the cone was useless for such a small breed. He gave me a steroid cream what would need to be applied directly on the source to reduce the inflammation and prevent any infection. I wasn't going to take any chances and on the way home stopped at a pet shop and purchased an inflatable dog collar to halt the nighttime lick fest.

Praise Jesus it was beginning to work! After a few days, Arlo seemed less interested in investigating his privates and the pain was hopefully subsiding. His skin was healed enough for the stitches to be removed and for our lives to return to normality.

"Feel sorry for me"